Cat groaning in sleep

Question
My cat has been groaning in his sleep lately and I'm not sure if this is a new thing or if I just never noticed it before. He is just over a year old, and I've only had him for a few months so he's been sleeping near me more often in the last few weeks. His behavior has not changed in any other ways, he is eating fine, still runs around and plays and purrs and cuddles while he is awake. But when he is asleep he groans, and re positions himself and stretches a lot and seems like he is in discomfort. I've noticed his paw or face twitching, and sometimes he breathes heavier for a bit. At first I thought maybe he had a stomach ache because my roommate had given him the juice from a tuna can one day, but he has not had tuna or the oil since and he still makes these noises. I even felt his belly and kind of palpated it to see if he would react but he just purred and purred like usual. No pain. His diet has not changed, he's been fed Performatrin since birth and I upped his serving slightly a few weeks after I got him because I could tell he was getting hungry late in the day, so I started feeding him smaller amounts but twice a day. I didn't have any issues with this.
So my concern is that he seems like he's sleeping more, and he seems like hes in discomfort while he sleeps. I will be taking him for a check up soon, but if this is something I should be worried about I will take him this week. I keep hearing that this is common in cats and probably not a big deal, but I'd like to hear it from someone who knows what they're talking about.
Thank you.

Answer
Katie,

Your cat at a year old is beginning to reach maturity.  Like humans cats do snore and also dream. The whisker twitching and paws moving are indicators that your cat is in REM sleep. As long as your cats behavior is normal, I would not worry about it.

I did a Google search on feline sleep snoring. There are many articles out there and differing opinions. So, I would not worry about it unless the cat appears to be distressed. With what you have described, your cat does not appear to be distressed at all.

If it seems to get worse, you can have your cat checked by your vet for upper respiratory allergies, post nasal drip, asthma and the like.  However, for now, I would ignore it.

On another note, feeding measure quantities twice a day is an excellent feeding regimen. It helps to control your cats weight and be able to gauge eating habits in case of problems later.

Best regards... Norm.